global surgery
How One Question Led Me to Surgical Research: A Guide for Women in Medicine
Author: Hala AlDabbous For many medical students, research can feel like an intimidating, distant world, something reserved for residents or those with connections. I used to think the same. What I’ve learned, however, is that research is not a privilege, it is a skill, and like any skill in medicine, it can be learned, practiced, and developed over time. My journey into research didn’t begin with confidence. It began with curiosity. The turning point came during the recent surge in the use of GLP-1 receptor agonists in Kuwait. As these medications became increasingly popular, I found myself drawn not to their well known benefits, but to their less discussed clinical effects. I began to wonder what kinds of patients we might start seeing as a result, and whether there were patterns we had yet to fully understand. That curiosity made the topic feel real and relevant, something unfolding in front...
Bridges & Breakthroughs: International Medical Graduate’s (IMG’s) Preclinical Research Experience
Author: Shivani Chaudhary (M.B.B.S, M.S General Surgery) Today, I want to share a deeply personal journey of resilience and perseverance which happened during my 2.5 years of preclinical neuro-oncology research. My research years began after I had already completed three grueling years of general surgery residency training, followed by a year of service at a community health center as part of my commitment to the Indian government. The excitement of landing a funded research position in a field I was passionate about was palpable, but I had no idea what challenges lay ahead. The first three months were a whirlwind of emotions that ranged from exciting yet intimidating. I was thrust into the entirely new realm of glioblastoma research, where I had to master unfamiliar techniques and learn a completely new scientific language. I even had to confront my deep-seated fear of handling mice. There were days when self-doubt crept...
Surgery Begins Long Before the Incision
By: Srinithya Gillipelli During my Fulbright-Fogarty Fellowship, I spent a year in Peru studying global surgery and health policy, much of it alongside community health workers (CHWs). I arrived expecting to focus on operating rooms, surgical volume, and workforce shortages. Yet the most enduring lesson came from outside the hospital walls– for many patients, surgery does not begin in the OR. The surgical cascade begins at home, among beliefs and barriers that affect communities in many resource-limited settings. In resource-limited settings, the distance between a patient and an operating table is rarely just geographic. It is shaped by trust, cost, timing, information, and fear. In Cameroon, nearly one in five patients presenting with a surgically treatable condition in one study ultimately declined surgery, most often because of financial and social constraints rather than medical contraindications.¹ A technically skilled surgeon and a well-equipped operating room mean little if a patient cannot...
Flapping My Wings Across Borders: A Surgeon’s Journey of Resilience
By: Busra Ozkaya, MD Every migration is a form of rebirth and a gentle reminder that courage begins the moment we choose to step into the unknown. When I left my home in Turkey to begin a new chapter in the United States, I carried not just a suitcase but a heart full of determination and dreams that refused to be grounded — dreams strong enough to flap their wings. I was born and raised in Cappadocia, a region where strength and patience are part of the landscape itself. The people there taught me that true resilience is quiet, steady, and often unseen. My journey into obstetrics and gynecology began with a deep sense of purpose: empowering women means nurturing the foundation of society. Each delivery and each patient encounter reminded me that medicine is not only about healing the body, but also about listening patiently, showing compassion, and restoring...
Speaking up from the Global South
By Dr. Prarthana Subedi How Young Women in Neurosurgery Can Influence Global Health Conversations Ever since I was a child, I’ve found myself in situations where I quietly questioned my place. These doubts didn’t come from lack of preparation or effort, but from something more deeply seated– an invisible weight carried by the labels that define me–A woman, A medical student from Nepal, A single child raised by a single mother. These identities shaped how I saw myself, long before I stepped into an operating theater with interest or attended a scientific conference. During my second year of medical school, I worked relentlessly, but for me, the baggage was heavier. When I was selected to serve on the organizing committee for a “Women in Neurosurgery” conference, it felt like the door to my dreams had cracked open. Meeting women from Romania, the United States, Peru, and Spain gave me something...
Issues faced by the female surgical trainees in developing countries
By Dr. Eshana Samaranayake Across South Asia, women are still a small minority in surgical training programmes, and that imbalance shapes daily experiences in ways that are easy to miss from the outside. ‘‘Surgery is for men’’ I have wanted to become a surgeon since high school, but when I prepared for the entrance exam I heard frequent warnings from family, friends, and colleagues. Much of it was well-meant, yet it rested on an assumption: surgery is too demanding for women to balance with personal life, especially where women are expected to carry most household responsibilities. Those expectations sometimes made me doubt myself, not because I lacked interest or motivation, but because I wondered how I would fit into a role society does not always picture for women. I feel fortunate to have been selected for surgical training, and I am now in my third year of general surgery residency....
Bridging the Gap: Female Surgeons in Malawi and the Power of Representation
By Dr. Sharon Cheryl Bonya Female surgical trainees face structural and cultural barriers that extend far beyond the operating room. They are not just training to master technical skills, they are also navigating expectations, isolation, and leadership in spaces where their presence still surprises many. In Malawi and across much of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), female surgeons face a double burden: under-representation within the surgical workforce and the cultural headwinds that make leadership, mentorship, and progression more difficult. Despite recent gains in training capacity in East, Central and Southern Africa, women surgeons remain a minority with implications for patient trust, communication, and equitable access to surgical care. According to the NHS workforce data, women make up about 17% of general surgery consultants in the United Kingdom. In the United States, women account for roughly 22.6% of general surgeons, based on figures from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). These numbers...
Finding My Flow: My Pursuit of Vascular Surgery in a Country Without Dedicated Vascular Surgery Training
By Dr. Swechha Bhatt My love for vascular surgery began in the very first year of medical school, when I studied hemodynamics. The intricate balance of pressure, flow, and resistance fascinated me, and somehow it all made sense. I carried this love with me into my clinical years, where the subject transformed from textbook diagrams into real patients and real problems. In clinics, every vascular case felt like a puzzle waiting to be solved. I often describe vascular surgery as “plumbing: it’s pipes, and you connect pipes.” Yet behind that simple analogy, I began to see the enormous gaps in access and awareness that patients in my country face. Patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) would walk into our hospital with critically cold limbs, many at the point of requiring an amputation. I often wondered how different their lives could have been if they had recognized claudication earlier, or if...
A Journey Inside the U.S. Healthcare System as an IMG
By Andrea Iturralde, MD I want to start with: What is an International Medical Graduate (IMG)? An IMG is someone who received their medical training outside the United States and wants to pursue a medical residency in the United States. When I think about navigating the U.S. healthcare system as an IMG, many challenges come to mind. First, I want to focus on one of the biggest difficulties: moving to a new country. This transition can be overwhelming. You’re not just learning a new healthcare system, you’re also adapting to an entirely new life. Renting a house, handling paperwork, even opening a bank account—these are all tasks you must complete before you can even think about practicing medicine. Once you’re established, it’s important to recognize that the healthcare system may work differently from that of your home country. For example, in the U.S., nurse practitioners and physician assistants play key...
Locked In: Training Under Pressure in the Dominican Republic’s Public Health System
Medicine in Latin America By Paria Remolina Medical training across Latin America often takes place in environments defined by limited resources, high patient volumes, and immense service demands. These challenges do not reflect a lack of knowledge or dedication but rather the difficult realities faced by public health systems stretched to their limits. In this piece, we explore the structure and expectations of surgical residency in the Dominican Republic, where young physicians must navigate not only the complexities of clinical care but also the pressures of a deeply hierarchical and demanding training environment. A Culture of Respect and Responsibility In the Dominican Republic, respect for seniority is central to medical culture. Attending physicians and fellows are regarded with deep formality, greeted with titles, and addressed with deference. It is expected to stand in their presence. These gestures reflect a longstanding tradition of respect for experience and authority. For residents, this...
